Should I report this to the gardaí or not?

Darlughda · 01-12-2011 12:15AM #1

Hi,

Am wondering if my question can be answered here.

I had a very unpleasant experience with other tenants in the house of flats I live in last saturday night.

Before, I expand on that I witnessed a horrible episode of domestic abuse on the street in front of me a couple of months ago.

An asian woman was dragged along the street, in front of my window, by her hair while being slapped around the face and as they reached the doorway of their house of flats, there were a number of other men there who went in after the guy dragging her in kicking and screaming.

When I went to the Rathmines Gardaí, a young blonde girl caked in make up kept asking me how much I had to drink???
I told her I had gone out for dinner with friends and all night it had been preying on my mind so instead of going home I decided to go to the guards and report this.

She made me feel so ridiculous for coming in on a Friday night at 11.30pm to report something I had seen at 6pm the day before.
But, talking to friends who work with social services agencies since, they have said that she was in the wrong and in future I should have no hesitation about reporting things.

Now, this incident that happened last saturday might seem amusing.

Two other tenants in the same house of flats as me began to verbally abuse me, and I stood my ground over the issue, and one of them, obviously off his head on drugs, dropped his pants and waved his penis at me all the while yelling abuse at me.

I quickly locked myself into my flat, and immediately contacted the landlord. He said he would deal with it on Monday.
It's now Wednesday night, and I am really uncomfortable coming in and out of my flat and I haven't heard from the landlord since.
Should I report this to the local gardaí, or am I going to get laughed out of it again?

endacl · 01-12-2011 12:23AM

Darlughda wrote: »

Hi,

Am wondering if my question can be answered here.

I had a very unpleasant experience with other tenants in the house of flats I live in last saturday night.

Before, I expand on that I witnessed a horrible episode of domestic abuse on the street in front of me a couple of months ago.

An asian woman was dragged along the street, in front of my window, by her hair while being slapped around the face and as they reached the doorway of their house of flats, there were a number of other men there who went in after the guy dragging her in kicking and screaming.

When I went to the Rathmines Gardaí, a young blonde girl caked in make up kept asking me how much I had to drink???
I told her I had gone out for dinner with friends and all night it had been preying on my mind so instead of going home I decided to go to the guards and report this.

She made me feel so ridiculous for coming in on a Friday night at 11.30pm to report something I had seen at 6pm the day before.
But, talking to friends who work with social services agencies since, they have said that she was in the wrong and in future I should have no hesitation about reporting things.

Now, this incident that happened last saturday might seem amusing.

Two other tenants in the same house of flats as me began to verbally abuse me, and I stood my ground over the issue, and one of them, obviously off his head on drugs, dropped his pants and waved his penis at me all the while yelling abuse at me.

I quickly locked myself into my flat, and immediately contacted the landlord. He said he would deal with it on Monday.
It's now Wednesday night, and I am really uncomfortable coming in and out of my flat and I haven't heard from the landlord since.
Should I report this to the local gardaí, or am I going to get laughed out of it again?

Report it. Not amusing at all. In no way is it ok for you to feel intimidated in your own home. If you're not happy with your reception at the desk ask to speak to the sergeant on duty. This was sexual intimidation and is not acceptable under any circumstances. Best of luck.

J K · 01-12-2011 12:27AM

That was very irresponsible of you to not phone the guards after seeing a woman beaten and dragged into a house.

Darlughda · 01-12-2011 12:36AM

J K wrote: »

That was very irresponsible of you to not phone the guards after seeing a woman beaten and dragged into a house.

How dare you.

I had never witnessed anything like that before in my life, and it took me too long admittedly to do something. Yet who the hell are you to judge? The road was full of people coming and going about their day, none of them did or said anything.

I was frightened out of my wits as they had stared back at me as I held the curtain open.
They are a group of guys who tend to dominate the street and I am a single woman living alone with no one to call on in an emergency so if I am a fúcken failure in your eyes, go suck your own ass, you have no idea what it is like to live in constant isolation and have no defence.

I do regret that I reported the incident late, but as the smart assed girlie at the station said to me no one else had reported it. She didn't even bother to take the report seriously.

brembo26 · 01-12-2011 12:52AM

Sorry to hear your situation Darlughda, get back on to your landlord again and get yourself sorted first. Nobody should have to put up with what the other tennant did to you, its sick!

hefferboi · 01-12-2011 12:57AM

J K wrote: »

That was very irresponsible of you to not phone the guards after seeing a woman beaten and dragged into a house.

dead right..

Darlughda · 01-12-2011 01:01AM

hefferboi wrote: »

dead right..

See my response to the reactionary poster before you judge me.

By the way, my question was in regard to whether or not I should report the incident that happened on Saturday night? Anything constructive to add to that?

If not quit judging me.
I only mentioned my ADMITTEDLY LATE reporting of the abuse incidence I witnessed to illustrate my point of why I was hesitant about approaching the guards.

ResearchWill · 01-12-2011 01:07AM

Darlughda wrote: »

How dare you.

I had never witnessed anything like that before in my life, and it took me too long admittedly to do something. Yet who the hell are you to judge? The road was full of people coming and going about their day, none of them did or said anything.

I was frightened out of my wits as they had stared back at me as I held the curtain open.
They are a group of guys who tend to dominate the street and I am a single woman living alone with no one to call on in an emergency so if I am a fúcken failure in your eyes, go suck your own ass, you have no idea what it is like to live in constant isolation and have no defence.

I do regret that I reported the incident late, but as the smart assed girlie at the station said to me no one else had reported it. She didn't even bother to take the report seriously.

The reason she did not take it seriously was the delay, just imagine if the case went to court, the guy says it never happened the victim is obviously in a bad relationship, and then you have to give evidence, you can imagine what the defendants lawyer is going to say to you, it was not serious other wise why did you wait hours to report it etc. Also the fact that the victim had not reported it would be an issue for the Guards. Talk to any Guard they will tell you how hard it is to deal with a person in an abusive relationship who will not give evidence, it's soul destroying for them.

Now in relation to your own matter, again you should have reported it straight away, but yes I understand it is hard to report things, you have to be committed to the long haul, once it's reported someone is moving out of the flat.

While it may not be something you wish to consider, I for one would move out and report the incident. if you feel the Guard does not take you seriously then ask to speak to the member in charge explain your issue, if still not satisfied then make a complaint to the Garda ombudsman.

the_syco · 01-12-2011 01:07AM

hefferboi wrote: »

dead right..

Internet hardman? Cop the f**k on.

=-=

Darlughda: call the Garda Confidential line @ 1800 666 111 if you see this sort of behaviour again.

mikemac1 · 01-12-2011 01:10AM

Work the hierarchy

Ask the garda for the sergeant
Ask the sergeant for their superior and so on

What happened by the flats on Saturday was unacceptable so make the report

When you leave the station I'd write a text message to myself with the gardas name and rank and save it for yourself. Maybe type an email to yourself when you get home.
Just so if it happens again and you make another report you can say I spoke to a certain garda on a certain date.

The garda might give you a card with their name and rank, that's good too
Or a letter with a pulse ref, better still

Make the report and keep records, I do be writing text messages for myself all the time

LoanShark · 01-12-2011 01:14AM

In fairness.. It did take you almost 30 hours to report a situation that you saw happening on the street... You went into the guards on a Friday night at an hour when most people who've been out for an evening are starting to become a bit tipsy... And you expect the guards to start an investigation? Because in your mind at the time it seemed right to jump into action..
You say that when the incident happened that there were others in the street, and why did they not do anything??? That is the attitude that has the people of this country fcuked... Ill not do anything, but someone else should... What stopped you from ringing the guards when you saw the incident??? When they could have arrived on the scene and done something then...

As for your other incident, you should call the guards and report this as it us indecent exposure...

Darlughda · 01-12-2011 01:17AM

ResearchWill wrote: »

The reason she did not take it seriously was the delay, just imagine if the case went to court, the guy says it never happened the victim is obviously in a bad relationship, and then you have to give evidence, you can imagine what the defendants lawyer is going to say to you, it was not serious other wise why did you wait hours to report it etc. Also the fact that the victim had not reported it would be an issue for the Guards. Talk to any Guard they will tell you how hard it is to deal with a person in an abusive relationship who will not give evidence, it's soul destroying for them..

I know understand this and it is killing me that I didn't report it straight away. I unfortunately felt too frightened because they had seen me, and was thinking what might happen if they traced the complaint back to me. Still, in future, I am determined to be braver if I see anything like that again.

ResearchWill wrote: »

Now in relation to your own matter, again you should have reported it straight away, but yes I understand it is hard to report things, you have to be committed to the long haul, once it's reported someone is moving out of the flat. ..

I felt weird enough calling and texting the landlord about it, and he assured me he would deal with it. Which was more that I got the time I reported the incident to the station.

ResearchWill wrote: »

While it may not be something you wish to consider, I for one would move out and report the incident. if you feel the Guard does not take you seriously then ask to speak to the member in charge explain your issue, if still not satisfied then make a complaint to the Garda ombudsman.

Moving out is not an option. I am on illness benefit, and it took me ages to find a place that was half way decent that took rent allowance. There is no way that i am going to risk homelessness because of other tenants who behave in a scumbag manner.

Darlughda · 01-12-2011 01:22AM

I notice how free and easy posters seem with attacking me for not reporting the incident I saw on the street in time.

Yet NOT ONE has mentioned how shocking it is that when I reported it the girl was not a bit interested in the statement I made??

Regardless of the fact that it was the following night, a friday night, I still went in asking advice to rathmines garda station, having never witnessed anything like that before, let alone been into a garda station for anything more than a stamp on a form,yet some of the posters here think its ok to attack me? rather than the attitude of that guard that night on duty who didn't even bother to make a report about it?WTF?

mikemac1 · 01-12-2011 01:28AM

Darlughda wrote: »

Hi,

Two other tenants in the same house of flats as me began to verbally abuse me,

Darlughda wrote: »

I felt weird enough calling and texting the landlord about it, and he assured me he would deal with it.

Maybe it's just my past experience but I doubt your landlord will do anything.
You live around Rathmines, flatland so and popular with renters. But many landlords just want the rent paid and have zero interest otherwise.
And if it means losing two rent paying tenants or losing you on benefits, the landlord would rather you were the one who goes

Look at it from the landlords point of view. Three tenants, does he lose two or lose one?

My post seems a bit harsh maybe, just your landlord doesn't care about you, just your rent

Darlughda wrote: »

I notice how free and easy posters seem with attacking me for not reporting the incident I saw on the street in time.

Yet NOT ONE has mentioned how shocking it is that when I reported it the girl was not a bit interested in the statement I made??

What happened months ago is done and nothing will ever be done about it, nothing I can post about it.

I'm concentrating on last Saturday

alphabeat · 01-12-2011 01:32AM

J K wrote: »

That was very irresponsible of you to not phone the guards after seeing a woman beaten and dragged into a house.

i'd like to have seen you do it , the boys watching you watching them ,
you call the cops , guards come by, later on the boys pay you a visit

thats right , you'd have done nothing .... and well you know it .

Keith in cork · 01-12-2011 01:36AM

Darlughda wrote: »

I notice how free and easy posters seem with attacking me for not reporting the incident I saw on the street in time.

Yet NOT ONE has mentioned how shocking it is that when I reported it the girl was not a bit interested in the statement I made??

Regardless of the fact that it was the following night, a friday night, I still went in asking advice to rathmines garda station, having never witnessed anything like that before, let alone been into a garda station for anything more than a stamp on a form,yet some of the posters here think its ok to attack me? rather than the attitude of that guard that night on duty who didn't even bother to make a report about it?WTF?

Yeh guys, come on like...two wrongs make a right and all that :pac:

Welcome to boards love, where opinions are voiced, like them or not. I do think that you were very slow to report it, fears or no fears. Rolling in a day later to report such a vicious assault.... i'd say you were barking too. If it was as bad as you say then what good was it reporting it when you did? so they could go find a body?

On your own position though..... Report him, ring the landlord again.... and move out. Your obviously living in a ****hole. You dont need that chaos in your life. No matter your circumstances be it work / affording rent/ anything, get the hell up out of there.

As for the copper........ Pfffft!, if you read the papers lately, my friend was thrown over a railing into the river below. He went and reported it to garda, they told him to **** off or they'd throw him in the river again. 1 week later my best friend and another man were murdered and thrown into same river. The same two attackers of point 1, are now both being held on murder charges of point 2. Preventable? unfairly treated? Negligence? All of the above? Quit whinging, your problems are easily solved............

Darlughda · 01-12-2011 01:38AM

thanks for that post Mikemac, I understand what you are trying to say.

I have a part 4 tenancy, so the landlord can't just chuck me out over this.

I think I will let my landlord know tomorrow that I am disappointed that he hasn't contacted me back and that I will be going to Rathmines Gardaí to report the incident.

Thing is the guy who did it prob has nae memory of it, he was off his head, still, if anything does happen again I would rather there was an official record of this.

I doubt the gardaí would even pay him a visit. He would probably just lie and deny everything anyway.

obplayer · 01-12-2011 01:46AM

J K wrote: »

That was very irresponsible of you to not phone the guards after seeing a woman beaten and dragged into a house.

Easy to say if you don't have to face the possible backlash from the men doing this. Having said that I have intervened in bad situations more than once but I was younger, fitter and in better health. Also, and this does matter, I am a man and unlikely to be subject to sexual harrassment. It is very easy to judge if you were not there and don't have to live there.

kawasaki1100 · 01-12-2011 01:47AM

Get out of there asap, tell your loadlord to stuff his flat and get out. You dont need to live like this. Its only a matter of time before things deteriorate further.

obplayer · 01-12-2011 01:50AM

Darlughda wrote: »

thanks for that post Mikemac, I understand what you are trying to say.

Thing is the guy who did it prob has nae memory of it, he was off his head, still, if anything does happen again I would rather there was an official record of this.

I doubt the gardaí would even pay him a visit. He would probably just lie and deny everything anyway.

Worth contacting the gardai for this anyway, he sounds like a bit of a cowardly headbanger but having said that do not confront him yourself, make him aware that the Gaurds are involved.

Darlughda · 01-12-2011 01:52AM

obplayer wrote: »

Worth contacting the gardai for this anyway, he sounds like a bit of a cowardly headbanger but having said that do not confront him yourself, make him aware that the Gaurds are involved.

Ok. That's good advice. I have been growing more angry since the incident and tempted to give him a piece of my mind. But I suppose its best to say nothing regardless of whatever he might say.

Fol20 · 01-12-2011 01:57AM

mikemac1 wrote: »

Look at it from the landlords point of view. Three tenants, does he lose two or lose one?

Not necessarily, i would prefer an honest clean person any day to 2 dirty people who does god knows what inside your house.

hefferboi · 01-12-2011 03:26AM

the_syco wrote: »

Internet hardman? Cop the f**k on.

=-=

Darlughda: call the Garda Confidential line @ 1800 666 111 if you see this sort of behaviour again.

Thats it ya.

MagicSean · 01-12-2011 07:07AM

Why were the two tenants abusing you? What was that argument about. You should report it but only if you are prepared to make a statement and go to court in the future.

In relation to the other incident, you'd be surprised what crazy stories are told after a few drinks. Gardai don't tend to get too excited about them. People often take this as apathy. And when they are not kept updated they assume nothing was done when it probably has been.

If you are unhappy with your landlords response then speak to threshold or even the prtb.

Zambia · 01-12-2011 07:56AM

Darlughda wrote: »

An asian woman was dragged along the street, in front of my window, by her hair while being slapped around the face and as they reached the doorway of their house of flats, there were a number of other men there who went in after the guy dragging her in kicking and screaming.

By Asian do you mean Indian or Chinese like

Darlughda wrote: »

When I went to the Rathmines Gardaí, a young blonde girl caked in make up kept asking me how much I had to drink???
I told her I had gone out for dinner with friends and all night it had been preying on my mind so instead of going home I decided to go to the guards and report this.

Yeah this is a bad idea , reporting stuff after a few drinks is just a terrible idea. Really bad idea ... cant stress that enough.

Darlughda wrote: »

She made me feel so ridiculous for coming in on a Friday night at 11.30pm to report something I had seen at 6pm the day before.

It was ridiculous to come in after a few drinks on a friday night sorry but that's what I reckon.

Darlughda wrote: »

But, talking to friends who work with social services agencies since, they have said that she was in the wrong and in future I should have no hesitation about reporting things.

Yes but not with Alcohol on board

Www.whiteribbon.org

01-12-2011 08:00AM

Yes you should report the indecency incident to the Gardaí but ONLY if you are prepared to go to court with it. You are the witness and injured party so only you can say what happened.

As for the domestic incident, it's easy to say call the Gardaí there and then but sometimes shock kicks in and people don't know what to do. Ideally you should call 999 but as mentioned already unless the woman makes a statement the Gardaí have their hands tied.

And finally, what does the amount of make-up that a person is wearing have to do with your story? What if it was a bloke with his hair in a mess, would that be an issue to you too?

JohnnyTodd · 01-12-2011 08:06AM

If I seen a women being dragged and beaten I would have intervened and called the guards immediately.

What took you so long to report this incident? You should be ashamed off yourself

Zambia · 01-12-2011 08:25AM

Easy on johnny.

JohnnyTodd · 01-12-2011 08:29AM

Zambia wrote: »

Easy on johnny.

I'm sorry but this is a very serious issue. The OP seems to be more concerned about someone flashing their penis to him than the girl being beaten incident.

Bullseye1 · 01-12-2011 08:34AM

So if your a witness to a crime and you have a few drinks on you should wait to sober up before reporting? Are you speaking with authority on this subject? Or if you have drink on you your testimony is disregarded anyway?

Zambia wrote: »

By Asian do you mean Indian or Chinese like

Yeah this is a bad idea , reporting stuff after a few drinks is just a terrible idea. Really bad idea ... cant stress that enough.

It was ridiculous to come in after a few drinks on a friday night sorry but that's what I reckon.

Yes but not with Alcohol on board

Www.whiteribbon.org

Radharc na Sleibhte · 01-12-2011 08:36AM

FFS, The OP is a fcukin woman livin on her own in what sounds like a lovely place.

audidiesel · 01-12-2011 10:17AM

if the other lady doesnt make a complaint, which would presumably be the case, then the guards can do absolutely nothing. it sucks but unfortuantely its far too common in this country.

not attacking you, but what would have been wrong with ringing 999 when the girl was being dragged in the street. if there were loads of people on the street, they couldnt really pinpoint you.

instead you waited till the following night after you'd had a few drinks on one of the busiest nights of the week at one of the busiest times.

to me it sounds like your a bit angry with yourself that you didnt report it at the time and your taking it out on the guards. (no idea what level of sobriety you had in the garda station - you could have been fine or else a raving lunatic or somewhere in between when reporting it).

the guards makeup makes feck all difference and just makes it sound like your nit picking.

ok now onto the flashing

of course you should have reported that. but the problem now is that youve left it a few days. legally your making the guards job nearly impossible by delaying it as long as you have. if you make a statement, and the other person admits it then it may well go to court. at that stage if you think your going to pull your complaint, then you shouldnt report it in the first place. if you want to go ahead then fair play.

also if the guy doesnt admit to it, its a case of he said - she said and its unlikely to go anywhere.

so my longwinded point is this.....

if your going to report stuff to the guards, please do it when there is some chance of being able to act on it. not a few days later. if you want to complain about the guards, then you should really look in the mirror first. im not saying im not sympathetic, but waiting a couple of days to report things and then bitching about it is pretty ****** (insert appropriate word here)

(post 100 wahoo)

source · 01-12-2011 10:32AM

Firstly OP Gardai cannot take a statement off someone who has drunk alcohol as their judgement is impaired due to being under the influence of an intoxicant. This clouds what they are saying and can often lead to stories being exaggerated. It doesn't matter if you believe you're sober enough, the general rule is once alcohol has been taken, it's not worth the risk.

When a complaint is not made on the day of the incident or the next day, it becomes very difficult for Gardai to investigate, as witnesses are gone and often after a few days the victim (especially in Domestic violence cases) will decide they don't want to make a complaint. If gotten to at the time of the incident the anger they're feeling will usually prompt them to make a complaint.

When you see someone being dragged down the street they are immediately in danger, call 999 and describe what you're seeing, clearly stating street address, and giving your details if you so wish. It is vitally important that these things get reported immediately, as evidence starts to dry up as time goes on.

I would echo what others have said here re the members make up. It has no baring on the story and only makes you out to be petty. I'm sure that's not the case, but it's how the comment comes across.

A complaint can be made at the time of an incident, with alcohol taken. The official complaint, ie the statement can only be taken while stone cold sober. If you come into a station a number of days after an incident and have drink taken you will be told to come back sober.

Sempai · 01-12-2011 12:25PM

Regarding the alleged indecent act by the OP's neighbor, is there an offence for that as it was within a house and not in public? The only legislation I know of is Public Indecency, in the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1935.

eroo · 01-12-2011 12:35PM

As Source said OP, if you had any alcohol taken previous to going into the Garda station then the Garda couldn't take a report from you. A statement taken from someone under the influence of alcohol would not stand up in court in most cases. AFAIK statements could be taken in serious cases such as rape or murder.

Also, as foreign touched, don't make a statement unless you are willing to go to court as you may be required to give evidence.

Darlughda · 01-12-2011 09:12PM

Right, I've learnt a lot from posting here.

In regards to the incident I witnessed, anyone who bothered to read through the whole thread will see that I regretted not acting immediately, and gave my reasons for that.
In future, I will never, ever let shock and fear overcome me, I hope, and act immediately.
Just out of interest, what would have happened if I had been drinking at the time I had witnessed that incident?

The reason why I highlighted the make up issue was because the girl at the station appeared bored when I explained the situation. She was caked in the kind of make up that I would associate with going out for a night on the tiles. False eyelashes and severe glittery eyeshadow. She was chewing gum, and I got the impression she was just waiting for her shift to finish so she could head out.

She clearly was not interested in what I had to say. I have to say, I found it disconcerting that a guard was made up like that, it kind of threw me-as it just did not look professional -and it inspired little confidence in me as she looked more suited to a beauty salon or a nightclub.
Having said that, I would have disregarded her appearance had she appeared interested, and gave me the impression that she took her job seriously.

I was not drunk. 2-3 glasses of wine does not make me incoherent. I left the night early because what I had seen had been preying on my mind and I declined to go clubbing, instead I went to report the incident and go home early instead.

The dispute I had personally with other tenants in the house of flats I live in last Saturday night, was over a communal washing machine.

I have decided not to go to the guards because I don't want this to escalate into a court case.
However, if anything like this happens to occur again, can anybody here who does know what they are talking about let me know if my complaint to the landlord will be sufficient as a record of previous incidents if, (hopefully not), something again happens in the future with that particular tenant, and I have to go to the guards?

I love my flat, and it is my home now. No one is going to intimidate me out of it. It took me a long, long time to find as half decent flats for people in my circumstances are as rare as hens teeth. I have no desire to move out, here is where I live.

alphabeat · 01-12-2011 10:33PM

JohnnyTodd wrote: »

If I seen a women being dragged and beaten I would have intervened and called the guards immediately.

What took you so long to report this incident? You should be ashamed off yourself

:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes: what a man

Sempai · 01-12-2011 10:41PM

OP, what would you think if it was you or a relative that was being beaten and dragged somewhere by a man and people were watching and did nothing?
I'm sure people have witnessed worse and were frightened by what they saw but still picked up the phone and dialed 999.

As for the Guards appearance, that's totally irrelevant, as she was probably not long after starting her . As some of the posters said here, she may have taken notes of what you said and may have made contact with this other woman who declined to make a complaint.

samina · 01-12-2011 10:50PM

I wouldn't report it, it will make life more difficult for you, and like you say if you live on your own you don't need that hassle. Ignore the idiots because it won't be long before fools like that mess themselves up anyways. Hopefully others will complain or the landlord will experience their attitude himself and they'll be gone

Darlughda · 01-12-2011 11:11PM

Sempai wrote: »

OP, what would you think if it was you or a relative that was being beaten and dragged somewhere by a man and people were watching and did nothing?
I'm sure people have witnessed worse and were frightened by what they saw but still picked up the phone and dialed 999.

As for the Guards appearance, that's totally irrelevant, as she was probably not long after starting her . As some of the posters said here, she may have taken notes of what you said and may have made contact with this other woman who declined to make a complaint.

Isn't it strange, that I just got the most overwhelming feeling that this is advice you so wish you would follow in your own life.

I am intuitive, and sometimes this is a bad thing as I explained to the point of ad nauseum, in regard to the incident I witnessed.

Yet a few pages into a thread, you ignore all that, yet latch on to something that I feel strongly has to do with you. Not me.

02-12-2011 08:10AM

Darlughda wrote: »

Right, I've learnt a lot from posting here.

In regards to the incident I witnessed, anyone who bothered to read through the whole thread will see that I regretted not acting immediately, and gave my reasons for that.
In future, I will never, ever let shock and fear overcome me, I hope, and act immediately.
Just out of interest, what would have happened if I had been drinking at the time I had witnessed that incident?

The reason why I highlighted the make up issue was because the girl at the station appeared bored when I explained the situation. She was caked in the kind of make up that I would associate with going out for a night on the tiles. False eyelashes and severe glittery eyeshadow. She was chewing gum, and I got the impression she was just waiting for her shift to finish so she could head out.

She clearly was not interested in what I had to say. I have to say, I found it disconcerting that a guard was made up like that, it kind of threw me-as it just did not look professional -and it inspired little confidence in me as she looked more suited to a beauty salon or a nightclub.
Having said that, I would have disregarded her appearance had she appeared interested, and gave me the impression that she took her job seriously.

I was not drunk. 2-3 glasses of wine does not make me incoherent. I left the night early because what I had seen had been preying on my mind and I declined to go clubbing, instead I went to report the incident and go home early instead.

The dispute I had personally with other tenants in the house of flats I live in last Saturday night, was over a communal washing machine.

I have decided not to go to the guards because I don't want this to escalate into a court case.
However, if anything like this happens to occur again, can anybody here who does know what they are talking about let me know if my complaint to the landlord will be sufficient as a record of previous incidents if, (hopefully not), something again happens in the future with that particular tenant, and I have to go to the guards?

I love my flat, and it is my home now. No one is going to intimidate me out of it. It took me a long, long time to find as half decent flats for people in my circumstances are as rare as hens teeth. I have no desire to move out, here is where I live.

If you were drinking at the time of the incident it wouldn't really matter if you reported it there and then. If you were reporting it later like in this case it may lead to you forgetting some simple things about the incident.

As mentioned a statement won't be taken off of somebody under the influence of an intoxicant, even if you were sober at the time of the incident.

Re only having 2-3 glasses of wine, how many did you actually have? People often underestimate how much they've had. Sure look at the drink drivers out there! Not saying you were falling about the place but once there is alcohol involved members will not take a statement.

Again, the Garda sounds like she was very presentable. Maybe overdone but still presentable. Her appearance has nothing to do with how professional she may or may not be.

And re your landlord, that's a civil matter. Seek advice from the rental organisations.

MagicSean · 02-12-2011 12:26PM

Darlughda wrote: »

Right, I've learnt a lot from posting here.

In regards to the incident I witnessed, anyone who bothered to read through the whole thread will see that I regretted not acting immediately, and gave my reasons for that.
In future, I will never, ever let shock and fear overcome me, I hope, and act immediately.
Just out of interest, what would have happened if I had been drinking at the time I had witnessed that incident?

The Gardaí would still have responded and maybe seen something they could act on themselves. Your statement could be taken when you had no drink taken but it would address the fact that you had alcohol taken at the time you witnessed the event.

Darlughda wrote: »

The reason why I highlighted the make up issue was because the girl at the station appeared bored when I explained the situation. She was caked in the kind of make up that I would associate with going out for a night on the tiles. False eyelashes and severe glittery eyeshadow. She was chewing gum, and I got the impression she was just waiting for her shift to finish so she could head out.

Maybe she just likes to look her best. No shifts end at that time on a Friday night.

Darlughda wrote: »

She clearly was not interested in what I had to say. I have to say, I found it disconcerting that a guard was made up like that, it kind of threw me-as it just did not look professional -and it inspired little confidence in me as she looked more suited to a beauty salon or a nightclub.
Having said that, I would have disregarded her appearance had she appeared interested, and gave me the impression that she took her job seriously.

So really her make up had nothing at all to do with your opinion of her but you threw it in anyway.

Darlughda wrote: »

I was not drunk. 2-3 glasses of wine does not make me incoherent. I left the night early because what I had seen had been preying on my mind and I declined to go clubbing, instead I went to report the incident and go home early instead.

2-3 glasses of wine would be plenty for the defence to jump on. A good example of this is the scene from "Sleepers" where Dustin Hoffman questions the witness about her drink.

Darlughda wrote: »

The dispute I had personally with other tenants in the house of flats I live in last Saturday night, was over a communal washing machine.

So it had nothing to do with the previous incident? It wasn't the same people?

Darlughda wrote: »

I have decided not to go to the guards because I don't want this to escalate into a court case.
However, if anything like this happens to occur again, can anybody here who does know what they are talking about let me know if my complaint to the landlord will be sufficient as a record of previous incidents if, (hopefully not), something again happens in the future with that particular tenant, and I have to go to the guards?

Sex crimes have no time limit however any delay in reporting a crime would have to be accompanied by a good explanation for the delay. It would not be sufficient to say you did not report it because the last time you reported something the Garda was wearing makeup and seemed a little apathetic.

Darlughda wrote: »

I love my flat, and it is my home now. No one is going to intimidate me out of it. It took me a long, long time to find as half decent flats for people in my circumstances are as rare as hens teeth. I have no desire to move out, here is where I live.

Considering the type of neighbours you have are you sure it is such a great place to live?

11-12-2011 03:28PM

So while a woman lives in real danger of her life with a group of men who act to dominate the street they live on, the majority of posts here are about how wrong the (now banned) OP was for being scared and/or trash-talking the Guard she dealt with?

Wonderful perspective, and I doubt any of you wear the Blue Uniform.

I would be very sorrowful if any of ye did.

She doesn't need to hear about how she's wrong and how hopeless you think things are, she needs to hear the steps she needs to take to improve the situation.

"It's hopeless blah blah" is ten-a-penny these days, people need to learn to do the right thing regardless of whether it's a "waste of time" or not.

If you do everything that you can do, then the onus is on the person you passed it on to who gave up.

If you're the one who gives up because you think it's "hopeless/not worth the effort", then you are the fault, you are the problem. Not it/them/him/her. You.

audidiesel · 11-12-2011 08:30PM

Deleted User wrote: »

So while a woman lives in real danger of her life with a group of men who act to dominate the street they live on, the majority of posts here are about how wrong the (now banned) OP was for being scared and/or trash-talking the Guard she dealt with?

Wonderful perspective, and I doubt any of you wear the Blue Uniform.

I would be very sorrowful if any of ye did.

She doesn't need to hear about how she's wrong and how hopeless you think things are, she needs to hear the steps she needs to take to improve the situation.

"It's hopeless blah blah" is ten-a-penny these days, people need to learn to do the right thing regardless of whether it's a "waste of time" or not.

If you do everything that you can do, then the onus is on the person you passed it on to who gave up.

If you're the one who gives up because you think it's "hopeless/not worth the effort", then you are the fault, you are the problem. Not it/them/him/her. You.

real danger of her life, yet she wont countenance moving somewhere else....

nobody on this is really having a go at her reporting it. but there are plenty saying that where she went wrong was in

1. waiting a couple of days to report it

2. only reporting it after her night out a few days later then when not sober.

if she reported it immediately or within a few minutes of witnessing it, then there would be none of the adverse commentary. instead she waited 3-4 days then reported it under the influence and gave out that she didnt feel she was treated as well as she liked :rolleyes:

MagicSean · 11-12-2011 08:32PM

Deleted User wrote: »

So while a woman lives in real danger of her life with a group of men who act to dominate the street they live on, the majority of posts here are about how wrong the (now banned) OP was for being scared and/or trash-talking the Guard she dealt with?

Wonderful perspective, and I doubt any of you wear the Blue Uniform.

I would be very sorrowful if any of ye did.

She doesn't need to hear about how she's wrong and how hopeless you think things are, she needs to hear the steps she needs to take to improve the situation.

"It's hopeless blah blah" is ten-a-penny these days, people need to learn to do the right thing regardless of whether it's a "waste of time" or not.

If you do everything that you can do, then the onus is on the person you passed it on to who gave up.

If you're the one who gives up because you think it's "hopeless/not worth the effort", then you are the fault, you are the problem. Not it/them/him/her. You.

The real danger was to the woman she saw being assaulted and she ignored it. My sympathy for the op is limited.

Should I report this to the gardaí or not?

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